Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Creature: Phase Guardian (CR 8)

Phase Guardian (CR 8)
Large Construct

Hit Dice: 15d10+20 (102 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 26 (–1 size, +15 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 24
Base Attack/Grapple: +11/+21
Attack: Slam +16 melee (1d8+6)
Full Attack: 2 slams +16 melee (1d8+6)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: —
Special Qualities: Construct traits, darkvision 60 ft., fast healing 5, find master, guard, low-light vision, shield other, spell storing
Special Defense: Phasing
Spell Resistance: 50%; Immune to all spells when out-of-phase, susceptible when in phase.
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +5
Abilities: Str 22, Dex 10, Con —, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 1
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 8
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 16–24 HD (Large); 25–45 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment: —

The tall, lanky figure seems to disappear completely every few seconds, reappearing a few seconds later. For a moment, you can make out the symbol of an hourglass, but only for a moment. (more desc here)

Forever oscillating in and out of phase with the current time, phase guardians are slaves to time. When one is fashioned, the phase guardian is keyed to a particular magical timepiece. Henceforth, it regards the wearer of that timepiece to be its master, protecting and following that individual everywhere (unless specifically commanded not to do so).

A phase guardian obeys its master’s verbal commands to the best of its ability, although it is not good for much beyond combat and possibly simple manual labor. It can also be keyed to perform specific tasks at specific times, down to six second accuracy, if it's in phase when the alarm goes off. The wearer of the timepiece can call the phase guardian from any distance, and it will come as long as it is on the same plane.

A phase guardian is some 9 feet tall and weighs more than 1,000 pounds. Phase guardians cannot speak, but they understand commands given in any language, though only in six-second increments.

COMBAT

Phase guardians are straightforward in battle, bashing with their heavy stone fists. They are made for defense and are not particularly impressive on offense.

Find Master (Su): As long as a phase guardian and its timepiece are on the same plane, the phase guardian can find the timepiece wearer (or just the timepiece, if it is removed after the guardian is called).

Guard (Ex): If ordered to do so, a phase guardian moves swiftly to defend the wearer of its timepiece, blocking blows and disrupting foes. All attacks against the timepiece wearer take a –2 penalty when the phase guardian is adjacent to its master.

Phase Other (Sp): Forever oscillating in time, a phase guardian must phase through time. If the Phasing is ever dispelled or otherwise disrupted, the phase guardian is trapped in whatever time it is disrupted in, and begins losing hit points at a rate of 1HD/rnd.

Spell Storing (Sp): A phase guardian can store one spell of 4th level or lower that is cast into it by another creature. It “casts” this spell when commanded to do so or at a predetermined time. Once this spell is used, the phase guardian can store another spell (or the same spell again).

CONSTRUCTION

A phase guardian is built from wood, bronze, stone, steel. The materials cost 5,000 gp. The timepiece also runs on two ounces of magesilver, kept within an hourglass that constantly resets itself every round, the amound of time it takes for the magesilver to flow from the top bulb of the hourglass to the bottom one.

The creature’s master may assemble the body or hire someone else to do the job. Creating the body requires a DC 16 Craft (blacksmithing) or Craft (carpentry) check. The keyed timepiece is fashioned at the same time, and its cost (20,000 gp) is included in the cost of the guardian. After the body is sculpted, the phase guardian is animated through an extended magical ritual that requires a specially prepared laboratory or workroom, similar to an alchemist’s laboratory and costing 500 gp to establish. If the creator is personally constructing the creature’s body, the building and the ritual can be performed together. A phase guardian with more than 15 Hit Dice can be created, but each additional Hit Die adds +5,000 gp to the market price, and the price increases by +20,000 gp if the creature’s size increases to Huge, modifying the cost to create accordingly.

CL 15th; Craft Construct, limited wish, discern location, shield, phase other, caster must be at least 15th level; Price 120,000 gp; Cost 65,000 gp + 4,600 XP.

TIMEPIECE

If a phase guardian’s timepiece is destroyed, the guardian ceases to function until a new one is created. If the wearer dies but the timepiece is intact, the phase guardian carries out the last command it was given.

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